franklin coston



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

MARTHA J. oosToN, ADMINISTRATRIX 0F B. FRANKLIN cos'roN, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

PYROTEGHNIC NIGHT-SIGNALS.

Specification of Letters Patent N o. 23,536, dated April 5, 1859.

To all wiz-0m t may concern.' i

Be it known that B. FRANKLIN CosToN, late' of the city and county of Washington and District of Columbia, deceased, was the original and first inventor of a Method of Signalizing Any Numeral or Combination ofNumerals by the Display of Different Pyrotechnic Fires, and that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying sheets of drawings making a part of this specification.

By the aforesaid method or system of signalizing, expressie-Iris given to any numeral, or character, by the separate or successive exhibitions of res of three different colors, viz, red, white and blue. The pyroteclmic materials for producing, by their combustion, fires of the above mentioned colors, are put up in strong paper boxes of three different sizes, viz, a size which will contain the material for 4a\single signal-fire of short duration; a size which will contain the materials vfor producing in succession, two of the aforesaid signal-tires; and a size which will contain the materials for producing in succession the three signal-fires employed in the CosToN system of displaying signals.

The shape and size of each of the above mentioned boxes are'clearly represented by Figures l, 2, and 3, of Sheet l; and the other drawings on said sheet represent the style of indicative labels that are generally placed upon the said boxes; Sheet 2, is a chart containing the necessary illustrations and directions for using the CoSToN system of night signals.

After receiving their respective charges of pyrotechnic composition, the aforesaid boxes may be rendered water-proof by first pasting a piece of tape (b) over the joint between the cover and the body of each box, and then coating the boxes with varnish, or any other suitable water-proof composition;

For the purpose of enabling the jointcovering piece of tape to be readily taken hold of and stripped from a box, preparatory to removing the cover therefrom and applying fire to lits contents, one end of said tape should be left unconined-as represented by the drawingsJon Sheet 1.

By the aforesaid system of making signals the different numerals and the other enumerated communications, are expressed in the following manner, viz.-a single White fire, of short duration, indicates No. l; a single red lire, of short duration, indi- Cates No. 2; a single bluefre, of short duration, indicates No. 3; a white fire running into a red fire, indicates No. 4; a white lire running into a blue fire, indicates No. 5; a red lire running into a white fire, indicates No. 6; a red fire running into a blue fire, indicates No. 7; a blue fire running into a white fire, indicates No. 8; a blue lire running into a red fire, indicates No. 9; a white ire run ning into a red fire and the latter running into a blue fire, indicates the character 0. A prolonged white fire-produced by burning the contents of the case marked P-indicates that the vessel or person exhibiting said signal, is desirous to communicate ,with

,some other vessel or person by means of the Cos'roN signals: and a prolonged red ire--produced by' burning the -contents of the box marked A,-is the answer to the aforesaid signal, expressing a readiness to answer signal by signal.

[")z'rect/ons for use-To lire a signal, strip off the tape from a box, remove the cover and apply a lighted match-rope to the contents of the box. The boxes which are necessary to lexpress a signal composed of a combination of two, three, or more numerals, should be fired one after the other in quite rapid succession; and then an interval of something like the space of a minute, should be allowed to elapse before tiring the rst 4box in the succeeding signal.

It is doubtless well known at the Patent Office, that signal books containing an alalmost infinite variety of numbered sentences have been published and are now generally used on public and private vessels, but prior to the invention of the Cos'roN system of making night-signals, the said signal-books could only be used during the hours of the day.'

That which it is desired to secure by Letters Patent as 'the invention of the late B. FRANKLIN CosToN, is

The signalizing of any numeral, combination of numerals, or any character or combination of characters, by a methodical exhibition of different pyrotechnic lires, substantially as herein set forth.

MARTHA J. COSTON,

.Aamz'm'amatm 0f the aa am and asmment of B. Franklin Gaston, deceased. Witnesses:

Z. C. RoBBINs, J. QUINcY ADAMS. 

